Burgers and sandwiches a delicious specialty at Chomp

The concept for Chomp is a small-scale restaurant that serves a limited menu along with a bar offering craft beers on tap.

Linda Murphy Lifestyle Editor @HNFastFood

WARREN, R.I. - Have it your way" may be the mantra of some burger joints, but at Chomp, they'd prefer you have it their way.

Or at the very least, give chef Jeremy Bradbury's creations a try. And then, if for some unimaginable reason, you don't like the house-made ketchup with a hint of star anise that accompanies the precisely seasoned salt and pepper fries, you can have a side of commercial ketchup.

But from all appearances, customers are more than happy with Bradbury's culinary magic. That, along with the charming ambiance of the former A&W drive-in and a weekly rotation of craft beers on tap has resulted in the restaurant being a hit almost from the first night it opened last fall.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine we would have a line of people out the door almost from the start," said owner Sam Glynn. "People really crave our food."

A segment on "The Phantom Gourmet," that has aired a few times, has helped fuel Chomp's success right from the start. And it continues to draw customers from throughout New England, said Glynn.

Open only for dinner, there's usually about an hour wait on Friday and Saturday nights. Chomp is not exactly a burger joint, or even a diner. Described on the menu as "Kitchen and Drinks," the concept for Chomp is a small-scale restaurant that serves a limited menu along with a bar offering what the owner said is the most unique assortment of craft beers around. "We look for the most unusual craft beers we can find," said Glynn.

The 39-seat restaurant on Child Street in Warren, located diagonally across the from the Dudek Bowling Alley, specializes in burgers and sandwiches, all of which are accompanied with ingredients that are made in-house every day including smoked bacon, chourico, ketchup, pickles and even some of the cheeses.

The burgers, served on a brioche roll, are made with a proprietary beef blend that the restaurant's meat purveyor makes specifically for Chomp, said Glynn. The result, he said, is an incomparable burger that can't be had anywhere else.

The house burger is stacked with house-cured bacon, smoked gouda, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and Chomp's signature secret sauce. Though he wouldn't indulge all of the ingredients in the mayo-based sauce, Glynn offered up one tantalizing clue: pickled shallots.

The next most popular burger among the customers said Glynn and Bradbury, is the Mac and Cheese Burger. In that creation, the signature burger is topped with cheddar cheese and red pepper jam, all served under macaroni and cheese.

Another favorite, is the Cheeeeeeseburger, an inventive concoction of a classic American cheeseburger and all the accompaniments, sandwiched between provolone and cheddar grilled cheese sandwiches. "Our burgers get sloppier as you go down the menu," said Glynn.

The "sloppiest" might be Chomp's "The Stack 2.0" a layered concoction consisting of the beef patty, spicy fried chicken, slow-roasted pork, bacon and an assortment of condiments.

The sandwich selection is equally creative with options such as the Po Boy, a Philly roast pork, loaded grilled cheese, eggplant caprese, and a sloppy joe, featuring the house-made chourico.

Bradbury, a native of Tiverton and graduate of the culinary arts program at Bristol Community College, said his preference for making everything from scratch developed while he was working in Portsmouth, N.H. at Mombo, a fine dining establishment. "They do a lot of farm-to-table dinners. And up there, it literally is right from the farm to the table."

Though there are some staples to the menu such as the house burger, Bradbury changes the menu about every three months to showcase seasonal ingredients. A root veggie salad that was popular this fall was replaced with the "Green Machine," featuring julienned kohlrabi (a hearty winter green) served along with green leaf lettuce, pickled green onion, toasted sunflower seeds, and roasted chick peas tossed in house-made green goddess dressing.

And when winter rolls around again next year, don't expect that salad to return; or least not in an exact replica. "I never want to repeat anything within a year; there's an infinite world of flavors out there," said Bradbury.

Glynn, a native of North Conway, N.H., grew up in a restaurant family — his father owned Horsefeathers in North Conway for 30 years. He always knew he'd open his own restaurant one day, and when the quirky building on Child Street became available, it was time to act, he said.

Since the restaurant space is small, it gives them the opportunity to do a small menu focusing on food made to perfection. "I think burgers and sandwiches really resonate with people," he said. "It's fun, creative food. We try to do a lot of funky stuff."

Chomp's kitchen is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 4:30 to 9; and Fridays and Saturdays from 4:30 to 10:30.

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